Los Angeles County is the latest to issue a ban on the infamous glyphosate-based weed killer, Roundup after a San Francisco federal jury ruled in the first phase of the bellwether trial that glyphosate exposure was a substantial reason for a California man, Edwin Hardeman's cancer.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, on Tuesday, March 19, instructed all its departments to stop using the weed killer, which has been in the headlines for being carcinogenic. Though the board did not give out its opinion on the recent court verdicts, Supervisor Kathryn Barger said the ban on glyphosate-containing herbicides would remain until public health, and environmental professionals can develop a safer alternative for Roundup to be used in L.A. County properties. The supervisory board asked the Department of Public Works to look for better substitutes and provide a report with recommendations within 30 days. While the outcome of the second phase of the bellwether trial involving Hardeman’s claims is still awaited, Bayer, which took over Monsanto in 2018, maintained that the product is safe to use and non-carcinogenic.
All product liability lawsuits filed against Monsanto over cancer concerns are consolidated into multidistrict litigation (MDL No. 2741; In re: Roundup Products Liability Litigation) before Judge Vince Chhabria in the Northern District of California.
